Packing chromatography columns is as much an art as it is a science. Even the smallest of columns used in the analytical laboratory can be packed incorrectly leading to inconsistent results.
The most common problems in packing lead to channeling or gaps in the media bed through which the liquid and components to be chromatographed preferentially flow, leading to inconsistent results.
Numerous methods have been developed to attempt to obtain consistent packings. Many have used a dynamic flow of the media in a slurry formed of the media and a liquid to obtain a suitable packing.
Some have added the use of vibration during this dynamic packing to help the consistency of the packing effort. Others have used vibration in the slurry before it is added to the column to create as uniform a suspension of media in the slurry as possible.
While all of these efforts work to a large extent, they all require much effort and the use of large volumes of liquid to do so. What is needed is a simple method and device for packing columns regardless of size. The present invention provides such a method and device.